Marikina City fire traced to second-hand ref

MANILA—Fernando Garcia of Marikina City thought he got a bargain when he recently bought a second-hand refrigerator.

But instead of cooling things down, the Japan-made refrigerator apparently started a fire that cost Garcia his entire house on Russet Street, SSS Village in Barangay Concepcion II early Saturday.

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Garcia, 65, told authorities that when he woke up that morning, he saw smoke coming out of the appliance which he recently purchased from a surplus shop.

He panicked and rushed out as smoke turned to flames that quickly spread inside his bungalow.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Noel Alarcon, arson investigator, said an electrical overload may have started the fire, noting that the refrigerator was a 110-volt unit plugged into a 220-volt system.

Thanks to a protective wall, the 6:40 a.m. fire was limited to Garcia’s house and declared out by firefighters about 30 minutes later.

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